VFL: Northern Blues captain Tom Wilson wins third best and fairest

TOM Wilson confirmed himself as a modern great of Northern Blues when he claimed his third best and fairest on Friday.

Tom Wilson of Northern is tackled by Lachlan Smith of Footscray during VFL footy: Northern Blues v Footscray on Saturday, June 30, 2018, in Carlton North, Victoria, Australia. Picture: Hamish Blair

TOM Wilson confirmed himself as a modern great of Northern Blues when he claimed his third best and fairest on Friday.

Wilson became the fourth three-time winner in the club’s long history, joining Ted Henrys, Joe Lumicisi and Brett Zorzi after edging out Sam Fisher and Josh Hill in the Laurie Hill Trophy count.

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Wilson finished with 85 votes, four clear of former Sydney rookie Fisher and 10 ahead of ex-Bulldog and Eagle Hill.

The 26-year-old on-baller also won the award in 2014 and 2016 and has been the Blues’ captain for the past three seasons.

“When you are playing, the seasons tend to roll into one another with pre-season not that far away,” Wilson said.

Tom Wilson puts his body on the line against Footscray this year. Picture: Hamish Blair

“One season is down and then you move forward. You don’t have much time to sit down and reflect, you just focus on what is going on.

“When that time comes, you probably sit back and reflect a little bit and let it all sink in.

“We are pretty determined to win a premiership and go deep into finals.

“That’s where your focus is as a player.

“When you finish, you’re probably going to look back and have good thoughts about what you have been able to achieve. But it would be nice to cap it off with a premiership.”

Wilson said he was buoyed by how close the count was, highlighting the improved depth on the Blues’ VFL list.

“I think that is probably the closest count we have had for a number of years,” he said.

“It’s a good indication of where the group is at, that we’re not relying on one of two people.
“It was really pleasing to receive the award, but also the fact the count was so close was really impressive.”

Tom Wilson charges away from a contest for Northern Blues.

The midfielder finished the campaign with a career-best 40 possessions against Essendon, polling 11 votes in the last home-and-away fixture to eclipse Hill and Fisher.

Wilson averaged about 26 disposals per game in 2018 and coach Josh Fraser praised his efforts to “drive this club forward”.

The Northern Blues skipper has committed for next season and has his sights fixed on the club’s first finals appearance since 2011.

“You could see there was enough there to like, we just have to do it for longer,” he said.

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